‘Stop Making Sense’: The Little But Important Details You Might Have Missed

Stuck at home? So is ScreenCrush’s Matt Singer — which is why he’s watching things streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, YouTube, Criterion, Tubi, and elsewhere, and then writing about what he finds. If you want to suggest something for him to watch and write about, find him on Twitter. Previous installments of this column can be found here.

Why I Watched It: When someone on Facebook recommended this one, it jumped right to the top of my quarantine queue. For one thing, I’d only ever seen it once, about 15 years ago, so I was long overdue for another viewing. For another, with no concerts going on anywhere right now, it felt like concert films likes Stop Making Sense might make for particularly comforting viewing right now. (I mean, I probably wouldn’t be going to concerts right now, because I’m old and uncool and have two kids and don’t go outside even when I can. But others do and would if they could, and surely want something to fill that void.)

Regular concertgoers might feel more melancholy than joy watching Stop Making Sense, but I found its energy to be absolutely uplifting, if only for 90 minutes. If laughter is the best medicine, then dancing might be second best. Here are my notes on Stop Making Sense...

Gallery — Little Details You Might Have Missed in Raiders of the Lost Ark: